Evaporating apparatus.



S. M. DICK.

EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man DEC-13.1911.

@Howe/1go Patented Mar.

sanear. n.' men, or n a y E. MICK, 0F nur.

OLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HALF T0 '14' "e i oLrs, MINNESOTA.

EVAPOBATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 25, i919.

y .application led December 1S, i917. l Serial No. 206,975.

to provide an ecient evaporating apparatus which may be advantageously used 1n the manufacture of dairy and other food products.

A further object is to so construct the one apparatus as to ermit of the manufacture of dierent pro ucts varying in moisture content from a comparatively dry milk powder to a condensed or evaporated milk of preferred consistency.

In carrying out the above objects, a vertical cell is employed, the milk or other liquid being sprayed by a centrifugal atomizer into the upper end of said cell and being subjected t0 diil'erently moving hot air currents supplied from hot air compartments surrounding said cell and communicating therewith` at different elevations; and further objects are to provide novel means for controlling the temperatures of the several compartments, to increase the eciency of the het air currents by a novel arrangement of outlets therefor, and to provide means forl automatically cutting ed the supply of liquid to the atomizer in case such supply is more rapid than the discharge of said atomizer. l

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention resides in the novel eatures of construction and unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawin s which form a part of this specification an in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved apparatus on the plane of the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 2, 3 the planes of the lines 2--2, 3-3 and 1 -4e respectively of lFig. 1. i

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates a vertical preferand 4 are horizontal sections on ably rectangular cell extending from a lower Hoor 2 of a building to the next door 3 of the same said cell being constructed of any preferred heat resisting material and in any appropriate size.

A casing 4: surrounds the cell 1 at a suitable distance therefrom and the space between said vcell and casing is divided into a plurality of hot air compartments 5, by horizontal partitions 6, said partitions having a suitable number of openings 7 whereby the several compartments may communicate. Het air under pressure is supplied to the lowermost of the compartments 5 by means of one or more ducts 8 and in order to control the amount of such air entering the other compartments, the o enin 7 of the partitions 6 are provided w1th suitable shutters or dampers 9 which may be operated by.

any preferred means such as the rock shafts 1 0 shown most clearly in Fi 3. The air su plied from the ducts 8 maye of any suitab e temperature, but in all cases this temperature will be low enough to prevent possible cooking of the contents of the cell 1.

Establishing communication between the lowermost of the compartments 5 and the lower end of the cell 1, are suitable openings 11 spaced around the sides or the cell and provided with dampers or the like 12 whereby the amount of hot air entering the lower end of the cell and the points of entrance may be readily under control. Other openings 13 establish communication between the upper end of the cell and the uppermost of the hot air compartments 5, suita le dampers or shutters 14 being also trolling these openings. As the hot air enters the cell 1 under pressure, suitable outlets must be provided for carrying this air from the apparatus, and as means for obtaining the best results, I have shown a plurality of vertical outlet passages 15 leading through the upper floor 3 and having their lower ends disposed in vertically spaced-planes as will be clear from Fig. 1. These passages are preferably though not necessarily located att e corners of the cell 1 and are :formed by diagonal partitions 16 secured across said corners as s own clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. The upper ends of the passages 15 are provided with line screens 17 which prevent both the possible escape of solids from the apparatus and the entrance of any exterior dust or other foreign matter. Shutters or employed 'for conenc A by proper use of lthese doors.

doors 18, the floor 3 which forms the topl doors are preferably employed to close over the screens 17 when the apparatus is not in use or to regulate the volume of air escaping. Rapid escape ofthe -hot air will not cause the apparatus to evaporate moisture to as great an extent as when such air is trapped longer in the device. Also the movement of the air currents in the cell may be- `varied Adjacent the of the apparatus may be provided with doors 19 for closing openings 20 formed therethrough, said openings assisting in controlling the internal temperature of the cell 1 and also serving as Ventilating means for such cell when the apparatus is not in use. Other Ventilating doors 21 may be provided at the upper end of the casing 4 as required.

A vertically disposed hollow shaft 22 projects into the upper end of the cell 1 and is rotatably mounted vin an appropriate bearing 23, the lowerend of said shaft having a suitable centrifugal atom-izer 24, while the upper end of the shaft is equipped with a bowl 25. A supply pipe 26 passes through the bowl 25 and into the upper end of the hollow shaft 22, said pipe having a valve 27 located in said bowl. An arm 28 extends laterally from lthe valve 27 and is provided with a wing 29 located in the bowl 25 as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 4. When the quantity of milk or other liquid fed through the pipe 26 is sufficient only to feed the atomizer 24 properly, the valve 27 remains open, but when the supply of milk is so rapidas to approach overflow, it will -accumulate in the bowl 25 and be thrown outwardly in said bowl by centrifugal force as indicated in Fig. 1, so that it is thrownl against the wing 29, the result being that this wing is swung horizontally to close the valve and hold it closed until the atomizer is slowed down and the accumulated liquid in the bowl lowers and is discharged. When this takes place, the valve is again automatically opened by spring 27 The atomizer 24 s preferably located in the same plane with the upper hot air inlet openings 13, although occasion may dictate other appropriate arrangements.

In operation, the shutters 9, 12 `and 14 are set properly, said shutters 9 being in most` cases so positioned as to permit only a restricted quantity of hot air to pass into the compartments above the lower compart' through the lowermost passage, but the volume of such passage' is so restricted as to prevent the escape of al1 of .such air, the result being -that although the majority thereof rises into the cell, some of such air will escape through each of the outlets 15. 75

The air descending from the openings 13 also passes out through these outlet passages and a number of crossing and whirling currents of air are thusv set up, so that the moisture will effectively be removed from the 8 0 solids and carried ofi' through the aforesaid passages. The liquid sprayed from the atomizer 13 falls through the currents of hot air and all moisture is thus removed from the solids and butter fat. Actual exy perience has taught that the particles of milk solids accumulate around the fatty' `Ifparticles until the granules thus formed gather sufiicient weight to overcome the upward action of the hot air currents. They then drop by gravity to a hopper or the like 30 at the lower end of the cell 1 and ma be carried olf in any preferred manner, as y a pipe 31 leading to a receptacle. By properly controlling the temperature of the several 95 compartments 5 and the strength of the draft of hot air entering the apparatus, as well as the points of entrance, the products may be made to vary in moisture content from a comparatively dry powder to a condensed or evaporated milk of any preferred consistency.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be obvious that although my invention is of 105 rather simple and inexpensive nature, it will be highly ecient' and durable. Since probably the best results are obtained from the several details shown and described, these details are preferably employed, but I wish it understood thatwithin the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may Well be made. Also, the apparatus may be constructed of ,different sizes 4 and shapes to meet various conditions which may be encountered.

I claim:

1. An evaporating apparatus comprising a vertical cell, means for spraying liquid into the upper end of said cell, means for supplying hot air to the upper end of said cell at points spaced around the vertical wall thereof, means for supplying-air at a higher temperature `to the lower end of said cell at points spaced around said wall of the latter, and air outlets spaced around said Wall and also spaced apart vertically.

2. An evaporating apparatus comprising a vertical cell, u per and lower hot air chambers surroun ing said cell and means for maintaining a higher temperature in the lower chamber; together with communicat-. ing passages between the lower chamber and the lower end of the cell, and between the upper chamber and the upper end of said cell, means for spraying liquid into the upper end of said cell, and air outlet means from said cell.

3. An evaporating apparatus comprising a vertical cell, means or spraying liquid into the upper end of said cell, a casmg surrounding said cell and divided into a plurality of supei imposed compartments, means for supplying hot air to the lower compartment, controllable communicating means between said compartments for heating one from the other and controlling the relative temperatures, communicating means between the upper compartment and the upper end of the cell and between the lower compartment and the lower end ofsaid cell, and air outlet means from said cell.

4."`An evaporating apfparatus comprisin a vertical cell, means or spraying liqui into the upper end of said cell, means for supplying hot -air to said cell, and a plurality of hot air outlets leading from vertically spaced portions of sa1d cell and` spaced around the vertical wall thereof.

5. An evaporating apparatus comprising a vertical cell, means for spraying liqui into the upper end of said cell, means for supplying hot air to the upper end of said cell, means for supplying air at a higher and a plurality of air outlets leading from vertica 1y spaced points of said cell.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5, said oultilets being spaced around the wall of said ce 7 An evaporating apparatus comprisin a cell, a vertical hollow shaft in said ce1 carrying a centrifugal atomizer, a pipe for supplyin liquid to the upper end of said hollow s aft, a valve for said pipe, a bowl on the upper end of said shaft, and a swinging wing for controlling said valve, said wing being located in said bowl, whereby a rotating body of liquid rising in said bowl will engage and actuate said wing to close said valve.

8.`A structure as specified in claim 2, the bottom of said cell being below said jacket to provide a' relatively cool collecting means for the Product.

9. The. method of evaporating liquid consisti in spraying the same into the upper end o a chamber while supplying hot a1r to the lower end of Said chamber and air at a lower temperature to the upperend of said chamber, and at the same time permitting the air to escape at different elevations, whereby to produce the several air currents as set forth.

my hand.

4 SAMUEL M. DICK.

temperature to the lower end of said cell, 35 v In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 

